Angel has Giardia
 

I picked up Angel from the breeders on Sat. and had her vet checked on Mon. I gave a stool sample, and the results came in today. I spoke to the nurse on the phone, and she said the results show she has giardia. The doc prescribed Metronidazole, but I told her I'd call the breeder and call her back. The breeder said this medication is useless, and I should use Panacur or Safeguard. The breeder has dewormed Angel many times, but she said that since she has so many dogs, she can't control if Angel ate their feces or her own. I asked her if this is covered under the guarantee and she said no. She said the meds are only about $20 Cdn. I do trust the breeders, but what do you think?

I had to have Angel checked within 72 hours of picking her up. Her assessment was "excellent" as written by the vet on her exam. The contract of the breeders I signed says, "Seller guarantees that the puppy is in good health and free of communicable diseases at the time of sale." I know it's past 72 hours, but I did tell the breeder that the stool results would be back in 1-2 business days. Is this type of parasite not usually covered in guarantees? I called the nurse back and told her the breeder said to use Panacur or Safeguard. She said the vet agreed to Panacur. The nurse said they treat the same thing but Panacur is powder form. I'm following the breeder's advice. I don't mind spending $20 if that's what it really costs. I'll find out after I pick up the meds.

Here's a list of Angel's deworming from the breeder:

March 7 Strongid T
March 21, 22, 23 Panacur
April 11,12, 13 Panacur
May 9 Strongid T
May 22 , 23 , 24 Panacur

Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Some of Angel's stool has been firm and soft. I had seen 2 spots of watery stool but it wasn't much. How can I prevent giardia from passing on to me and other people? Should I be doing anything specific to clean her bedding, bed, water and food bowls,etc.? Do humans need to be treated for it when in contact with a dog with giardia? Thanks!

I would think you would want to clean with bleach and water. I dont know how contagious giardia is form dog to human so I am bumping this up so maybe you get an answer

I have had many dogs come into rescue with giardia and I just had to made sure that I use gloves when I am cleaning up after the dog. Here are 3 websites that you can read about this disease. I would not get to concerned about it passing to you unless you touched the feces and didn't use soap and water afterwards.

http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=739

http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasi...m#transmission

http://www.priory.com/vet/giardia.htm

I will leave it up to the breeders to respond to your question regarding the breeders responsibility here.

From what I know, I don't think it would be covered by the breeder unless it is in the contract or you just have a really nice breeder! Wouldn't hurt to ask if he/she wouldn't mind picking up the cost.
But that type of think is quite common in litters because it truely is difficult to keep track of puppies eating things they shouldn't be. I just finished a book called Yorkshire Terriers by Janet Jackson and there was a complete section about this. The author was saying that in many cases, breeders have to continuously deworm the pups because they keep passing it around.

Thank you so much for the info. I'll be reading it. My bf, TCC on this forum, is coming to pick me up so we can go to the vet's and get the meds. Do I need to give another stool sample of Angel's to the vet's after the meds are finished to make sure the giardia is gone?

Check with your vet but I did bring in a sample so I knew the dog would not go to his new home with any problems or infect any other animals.

Hi there. Sissy has been dealing with giardia for about 6 weeks now. Her 6 month stool sample showed traces, but the one month follow-up was full. The vet said there are many sources of transmission - outside standing water can contain it.

The information the vet gave me says to use bleach to completely clean the dog's area. Any use the washer/dryer (on high heat) to clean toys/bedding. Giardia can be transmitted to humans - so no doggie mouth kisses for a while. Both metronidzole and pancur are used to treat - the metro has a broader spectrum in it. The vet will usually do a repeat stool sample in four weeks and then if the puppy needs to be re-treated it is for a longer time frame and then re-tested again after 60 days.

Hope this helps. Feel like I've become an expert!

We were told to bring a sample after Angel finishes the meds. She's to take 1/4 tsp. of Panacur twice a day for 5 days. I hope it clears up!

I'm sorry to hear that. Which meds is she on? Thanks for the tips on cleaning.

I have two pens and tarps for Angel. One is upstairs in her room and one is downstairs. I put the one that was downstairs in her room and washed the tarp and pen that was originally in her room w/ bleach so those are drying. I also cleaned her toys and bedding.

Do you wash Sissy's bum w/ shampoo every time after she poos? I've been doing it w/ water only. Is that good enough?

I haven't washed her bum at all, other than her weekly bath. That was not in the information the vet gave me. This last treatment she was on the Metronidazole in a liquid form that the pharmacy specially made for her, twice a day for 10 days. The 1st time she was treated with Pancur for 3 days, just once per day, sprinkled over her food. Since she was eating dry food, I would roll the powder into cheese and she would gobble it down.

She doesn't get her stool re-tested now for another 6 weeks. We also treated our other dog this time with Pancur in a pill form, twice a day for 5 days. Hopefully, we will get good news when it is time for the stool sample.

There isn't really any standing water in our yard, though it did rain very heavily for three weeks in May. Our flower beds in the yard are lined with cedar bark and Sissy likes to grab pieces of the bark and chew them. I'm thinking that was the culprit, but I guess we'll never know for sure!

It's not in my vet info, but I prefer her to have a clean bum and especially since I found out she has giardia. Are there any side effects to Panacur that you're aware of?

I didn't get any medication information, but there was nothing mentioned about side effects. Hope you're not having any problems.

There was no mention of side effects in the info I got. I started the meds this morning. I posted the mesg below under "Training":

"The breeder said Angel might get pouty on the 3rd or 4th day at her new home w/ me. I picked her up last Sat. Well, I'm not sure what the breeder meant by that exactly, but Angel is whining and barking pretty much non-stop. She won't listen when I say the usual things like 'No, shhh, etc.,' and when I ignore her, she continues to do it. It doesn't matter if I'm in the same room w/ her or in another room. She's in a pen w/ her bed, food and water bowls, pee pad and toys. She wants to get out of the pen. Should I let her cry it out no matter how long it takes? Should I not look at her at all or acknowledge her? She usually only quiets down when someone holds her. I don't know what to do!

She was quiet for a moment and went to lie down on her bed, but then my mom came in the room and she's starting up again."

She's really trying to paw her way out of the pen. I don't know if it's cuz she misses her family and wants attention.

Her stool was a little watery this morning around 3 a.m. when she woke me up by whining and barking. She tends to do this after she poos. I started the meds around 8 a.m. She had a second bowel movement this afternoon around 3-4 p.m. and the stool was really soft. Is this what Sissy's stool has been like?

There was no mention of side effects in the info I got. I started the meds this morning. I posted the mesg below under "Training."

"The breeder said Angel might get pouty on the 3rd or 4th day at her new home w/ me. I picked her up last Sat. Well, I'm not sure what the breeder meant by that exactly, but Angel is whining and barking pretty much non-stop. She won't listen when I say the usual things like 'No, shhh, etc.,' and when I ignore her, she continues to do it. It doesn't matter if I'm in the same room w/ her or in another room. She's in a pen w/ her bed, food and water bowls, pee pad and toys. She wants to get out of the pen. Should I let her cry it out no matter how long it takes? Should I not look at her at all or acknowledge her? She usually only quiets down when someone holds her. I don't know what to do!

She was quiet for a moment and went to lie down on her bed, but then my mom came in the room and she's starting up again."

She's really trying to paw her way out of the pen.

I don't know if she misses her family and just wants attention or what.

At 3 a.m. she woke me up by whining and barking. She tends to do this after pooing. When I went to her room, I saw she had pooed. The stool was a little watery. At around 8 a.m. I gave her the Panacur. She had her 2nd bowel movement around 3-3:30 p.m. and it was very soft and pasty. She even kicked some on the wall! Is this how Sissy's stool has been like?

I was holding her in my arms and she was restless. She was moving around and sniffing. After a while, she lay still in my lap. I put her in her pen a little while ago, and she's FINALLY calm and lying in bed.

Excuse the 2 posts that are repeating. I hate how I have to keep logging in if it takes me a while to type my mesg cuz I'm trying to keep Angel calm or I can't edit a mesg after 5 min.

Sissy started with the diarrhea before the started the meds. There was nothing firm at all, just a very runny mess. As the diarrhea continued, it became more mucousy and runnier. She started on her meds 1 days into the poopy mess and it continued to two more days before it became normal again.

I see. I hope things clear up.

This is a question for everyone. Do we have to wash all our clothes, rugs...etc. that our dogs have come into contact with since we have to wash all our Yorkies' things to prevent the parasite from spreading to us/reinfecting them? I was told to wash her bum w/ soap or shampoo, but I plan to wash her feet too if I see paw prints. Could the parasite still transfer to everything if those areas of their bodies are washed? Is she ok to roam around supervised without having to wash everything of hers and ours? If clothes are to be washed in hot water, how do we get rid of it on dark clothing since cold water is supposed to be used and some clothes can only be hung to dry?

BTW, the breeder told me I should recheck the dosage of Panacur because she only gives it to her dogs once a day. She thought it was a little too much. I called the vet's office and found out it's wrong and it should be once a day. Angel's vet was gone for the day, but I talked to another vet. She said Safeguard is a liquid form and is more accurate but it tastes awful. She said I could switch to this and a syringe would be included for the right dosage as it's difficult to measure a 1/4 tsp. of Panacur when I don't have the right measuring spoon. I used a 1/2 tsp. and removed half of the powder from the spoon. I gave Angel the 2 doses today, but the vet said it wouldn't do any harm as there have been studies re overdosing. The breeder said she might have an upset stomach and to give her rice if that happens. I agreed to switch to the liquid, but now I'm thinking I should stick to the powder since Angel is used to it from the breeder's and the other stuff tastes awful. The vet said I could use soft food and mix it in. I may call the vet's and tell them I'm sticking with the Panacur. The vet I spoke to said the amount charged should be about equal and it'd be a swap. I hope I don't have a problem. I don't know why Angel's vet didn't agree to Safeguard if it's more accurate and easier. Maybe it's the taste and the fact Angel has taken Panacur before.

I'm not familiar with Safeguard. Using the syringe to give meds is actually really easy. That is how Sissy got the metronizadole. It is easy to measure the correct amount of cc's as the syringe is metered. When Sissy was on the Pancur, my vet gives me the doses in individual packets - no measuring required. My vet said the Pancur tastes very bitter, that is why you mix it into food. My guess would be Pancur is regularly prescribed because they keep it in stock.

I have not shampooed the carpets and washed all my clothing. I was told just to wash her stuff, particularly the items she regularly lays on.

:getwell: I am so very sorry you are having this Giardia problem with Sissy. I have never had problems with it, but I do understand that it can be very challenging to get rid of. From reading this whole thread, my heart really ahces for you. All you want is for your baby to get better and you are getting different information from the breeder who has known Sissy all of her life and the vet. :getwell:

Giardia
 

Hi,
I just started a new thread asking a question about giardia. Is there a way to prevent it or something to give to prevent my puppy from picking it up?

Hope they are well soon!
 

I am sorry that Angel and Sissy are both sick with Giardia. We never had that but did have a bad round with Coccidia. You have to be persistant with these infestations and follow your vet's instructions to the T. If you don't see results with the Pancur you might want to try the Metronidazole as he first prescribed. Best of luck to you both...sounds like a nasty bug for sure!

Hi there!! Lilly too contracted Guardia from her cat shelter sister Saffron. We also treated her with the same meds. I just made sure to use latex gloves (i'm a nurse) or wash my hands very frequently when handling stool, or cleaning up litter boxes. I did wash Lilly's bedding and toys while she was being treated too. Good luck! ~lizette

Buddy got Giardia when I first got him. The Metronidazole works wonders for him - the Panacur seemed to make him sicker. He seems to be having a flare-up of it now and the vet put him back on the Metronidazole again.

I think I've come to the conclusion that when you're a city dweller like me you can either have
1. a well-socialized pup, that does get sick from time to time or
2. an unsocialized pup, who stays indoors and gets carried around all the time and stays completely healthy.

I think just because they are so small they pick up the littlest thing!
Oh, and re: cleaning off his bum, I use unscented alcohol-free baby wipes to clean off his little butt. With Giardia they are shedding things called "cysts" and they can hang on to his hair. I would do the best I could to wipe them off...

Good luck!!

I don't know how to prevent it, but the breeder said I could give Angel a small piece of pineapple to stop her from eating her own stool. If she eats her own stool, she will be reinfected and the meds won't work. The pineapple makes their stool taste awful. I've been trying to remember to give her a piece everyday.

Thanks for your support. Sorry to hear about your situation. How long did it take for you to get rid of the coccidia?